Cajun Heat
by Moonchampion
Summary: Sequal to "Playing for Keeps" You guys asked for it, you got it! This time around, someone is trying to hunt Remy down in the Big Easy. He asks the one person he trusts for help, Rogue. So, why are these people after Remy? And when Rogue learns the truth,
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

****

Cajun Heat

By

Moonchampion

"Come on, Rogue! Stop hogging the bathroom!" cried Kitty. "You've been in there for over an hour already." Kitty stood outside the bathroom in her bathrobe with her towel draped over her arm. She stared at the door a few moments longer, and still there was no change. "I'm not kidding, Rogue. If you don't come out right now, I'm coming in!"

Suddenly, the door opened, and Kitty found herself face-to-face with Rogue. "Calm down, Kitty," said Rogue as she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in her bathrobe. She ran her fingers through her wet hair as she smiled at Kitty. "It's all yours, short stuff." With that said, Rogue stepped across the hall and entered their bedroom.

Kitty stared after her until the door closed. As her frustration began to build up, Kitty stuck out her tongue at the closed door. "Tomorrow, I'm going first!" Kitty turned around, and found a cloud of brimstone appear directly in front of her.

"Excuse me, Kitty, but it's an emergency," said Kurt. Then, he rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Kitty rushed to the door and began pounding on the wooden door and yelling after Kurt. "Hey! Get out of there, right now, Kurt! I've been standing here for over an hour!" The only response was the sound of the shower starting to run. Kitty growled at the door and pounded on it a few more times. "You're going to regret this, Elf!" Kitty dropped her towel onto the floor, and sat down next to the door. Then, she added as an after thought, "And keep your hands off of my Herbal Essence Shampoo!"

"Vat are you talking about?" asked Kurt. "I never used you shampoo!"

"Oh yes you did!" screamed Kitty, who was back on her feet. "I found your blue hairs all over the bottle!"

The two teens continued to argue through the closed bathroom. Their voices filled the entire house. Rogue listened to their muffled voices as she got dressed. She sighed and shook her head as she pulled her gloves onto her hands and looked in the mirror. Finally, after getting dressed, Rogue left her room and headed downstairs. The voices of Kurt and Kitty were still chattering away at each other. Now, however, Kurt was continuing the argument with his head sticking through the slightly open bathroom door.

Rogue shook her head and headed downstairs towards the kitchen for some breakfast. On her way into the kitchen she saw Logan heading in her direction. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and his eyes were glued to the newspaper in his other hand. "Morning, Logan," said Rogue as they passed each other. Logan replied with a low grunt that was meant as a welcome.

Rogue entered the kitchen to find that breakfast was already waiting on the table. The table was filled with tall stacks of pancakes, bacon, toast and eggs. There was even a basket full of bagels on the table, along with some jam and creamed cheese. Rogue couldn't decide what she wanted so, she decided to check the mail. Perhaps by then, she would have made up her mind about what she wanted.

Rogue went over to the counter and picked up the large stack of mail. She checked the mail simply as a habit, because she wasn't expecting a letter from anyone. After all, she couldn't even think of anyone that would send her a letter, especially since she couldn't remember. Rogue continued to thumb through the letters, noticing that most of the other students were getting mail from family members. Scott had gotten a letter from his brother Alex. Jean had gotten a letter from her little sister. Kitty and Evan had gotten letters from their parents. Even some of the new students, who had only been there a couple of weeks, were receiving mail. Rahne Sinclair, Wolfsbane, received a card from her mother on Muir Island, and Sam Guthrie, Cannonball, received quite a few letters. A bunch were from his family back in Kentucky, but one of them came from his sister Paige, enrolled at the Xavier Institute in Snow Valley, Massachusetts.

Rogue was just about tired of thumbing through the mail. She placed the stack back onto the counter. As she did so, several of the letters fell onto the floor. Rogue sighed, and bent down to pick them up. Rogue collected the letters and placed them back on the counter. However, something on the counter now caught her attention. It was a letter addressed to her. She picked up the letter and stared at the envelope. There was no return address in the corner. Rogue was confused. Who would possibly send her a letter? She looked at the postmark printed over the stamp.

"New Orleans?" said Rogue as she read the postmark. It only took a few moments before she concluded who had written her the letter. "Remy," she whispered to herself.

Rogue tore open the envelope and began reading the letter immediately:

__

Rogue,

I need your help, Cher. I don't know who else to turn to. Someone is after me, and I can't stop them. With this letter, I sent you a train ticket and an address where we can meet, here in New Orleans. Please come Rogue. You may be my only chance.

Remy

Rogue folded the letter and looked at the train ticket and the address that had been inside the envelope. She swallowed hard as she started to consider what to do. Why had Remy sent her a train ticket? She could have very easily flown with the X-Men in the Blackbird down to New Orleans, unless… unless he wanted her to come alone.

Rogue didn't like the idea of traveling on her own all the way New Orleans, especially without telling anyone where she was going. The Professor would be furious if she pulled a stunt like that. Still, Remy needs her help. She had to do something. Rogue looked again at the paper with the address. It was a hotel suite, reserved for one night.

"Why there, Remy?" Rogue said to herself. "What have you gotten yourself into now?" Rogue folded the papers and quickly dashed up to her room. On her way upstairs, several of the other students were coming down. They waved and said the morning greetings to Rogue, who simply nodded and continued up the stairs as quickly as possible. Kitty and Kurt were still arguing at the bathroom door. Rogue quickly slipped into her room and shut the door. She then dumped all of her schoolbooks out of her backpack and threw an extra change of clothes, along with her X-Men jumpsuit, into the bag.

Rogue started towards the door, and then thought it would be better if she left the house without anyone noticing. She decided to leave through the window, and climb down the tree next to her window. Rogue did this with ease, and softly landed on the grass below.

"Is something wrong with the stairs?" grumbled a voice. Rogue was shocked as she turned around to find Logan standing a few yards away. "Where ya headed River-rat?"

"Uh, well," stammered Rogue. "I – I have a – uh test to make up. So, I need to get to school a little early."

"Really," said Logan suspiciously. "And why are you climbing out of windows all of a sudden?"

"Uh – exercise?" said Rogue as she chuckled half-heartedly at her explanation. There was no way Logan was buying any of this. Still, it was the only chance she had.

Logan continued to eye her suspiciously. After a few more seconds of Logan staring directly into Rogue's eyes, and she would have easily broken down and confessed everything. However, the next words brought some relief to Rogue's troubled heart. "Come on, I'll give you a lift?"

Rogue followed Logan as he led her to the garage. They entered the building and walked down the row of cars until they came to a black SUV. Rogue and Logan entered the vehicle, and for the entire drive remained silent. Logan pulled up to the front of Bayville High School and Rogue climbed out of the car.

"Thanks for the lift, Mr. Logan," said Rogue.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. "Hey Rogue, what kind of test is this anyway?"

"Geography," replied Rogue, after hesitating briefly. Logan simply nodded after hearing her answer and pulled off. Rogue started towards the main building. However, once Logan was out of sight, she broke off into a run towards the bus stop on a street adjacent to the school grounds. When she reached the bus stop, she sat down on the bench and waited for the bus to come.

After a few minutes, the bus pulled up, and Rogue hopped on board. She road the bus into New York City, where she got off at Penn Station. As Rogue entered the station, she saw that she only had a few to reach her terminal before her train left. Rogue dashed through the crowds of people and found her way to the train. She quickly climbed onboard and found her seat. It was isolated, and in the back of the car. Luckily the train wasn't full, so she didn't have to worry about anyone bothering her on this trip.

"Mind if I check your ticket," said a familiar voice. Rogue looked up as she reached into her bag for her ticket. However, when she saw who was facing her, the ticket fell from her hand onto the floor.

"Logan," said Rogue. The color from her face was quickly draining as any idea of an explanation continued to escape her mind. Logan reached onto the floor and picked up her ticket. He studied it briefly and turned his attention back to her.

"A little early for Mardi Gras, ain't it?" he asked.

"I – I can explain," she stammered.

"I'm waitin'," he replied.

"No, I can't," she said, as any good lie remained just out of her grasp.

"How about you try the truth?" he said.

Rogue sighed, as she reached into her backpack once again and produced the envelope she had received from Remy. Logan took the letter into his hands and began reading. After he finished he handed the letter back to Rogue and stared at her.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I'm sorry. I guess you're going to take me back to the Institute, huh?" Rogue began to stare at the floor as she waited for his answer. Surprisingly several seconds passed before he actually sat down beside her and produced a ticket of his own. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going with ya," said Logan. "I caught a LeBeau's scent back at the mansion when I checked the mail before you came down. I figured he must have ya a letter. But, seeing you trying to sneak outta house is what made me suspicious."

"Sorry, about that," said Rogue.

"Forget it," Logan said. "I'm gonna call the Professor, and let him know where we're going. That way, if it's necessary, the others can come and join us." Rogue nodded as Logan pulled out a cell phone and began dialing the number. As he got onto the phone and began talking, Rogue stared out the window. The train had started to move. After a few minutes, New York City began to disappear, and Rogue's eyes began to get heavy. Eventually, everything faded into blackness, as Rogue drifted off to sleep.

Remy raced down the alley as fast as his legs could carry him. As he dashed through the dark allies, he glanced over his shoulder. Both of them were still on his tail, and getting closer. Remy quickly turned the corner and ducked behind a row of garbage cans. He had to catch his breath. His legs were starting to ache. It seemed like he had been running an hour, nonstop. Remy peeked around the garbage cans to see if he could see his predators. No one was in sight. Remy sat there and continued to catch his breath.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the garbage can he was leaning on began to glow and whine louder and louder. Remy got to his feet as quickly as possible and began to run. Within seconds, an explosion occurred behind him. The force of the explosion threw Remy forward and onto the ground.

Remy was slightly dazed as he began to shake his head. He tried to get to his feet, but it seemed useless. Remy glanced back, and saw two figures coming towards him. One of them was a large man with dark skin. He was wearing a black leather uniform and a long black leather trench coat. On the buckle of his belt was the X-Men emblem. His hair was straight and long. He also had a moustache and goatee, and was sporting a pair of sunglasses. His companion was a woman. She was also wearing a black leather uniform with the emblem of the X-Men. She also had dark skin, but her hair was short and blonde, with the exception of a single, long braid that fell somewhere near her knees. Both of them however had the letter 'M' tattooed over their right eyes.

As they got closer, Remy could see that the man also had a large sophisticated rifle in his possession. It was unlike anything, Remy had ever seen. The bulk of the gun alone proved that it wasn't an ordinary weapon. The woman with him however, didn't have a gun. In fact, her hands were glowing with green energy. Remy tried once again to get to his feet, but found that his attempts were still futile.

Remy heard the man cock the gun once again, as he prepared to fire. Remy was running out of time, these people were getting close. He needed some sort of distraction. Remy looked on the ground, and saw a wooden crate lying next to the back door of a restaurant. Remy reached for the crate and touched it. The wooden crate began to glow. Remy started to crawl as fast as his arms and legs would carry him.

"There's no use running, boy," boomed the man's voice. He spoke softly, but his voice was so deep, that it almost sounded like thunder. "The game's over and you lost." The man lifted his gun and pointed directly at Remy.

"Don't pick up the chips before the last card is played," replied Remy. Just as he finished his sentence, the crate Remy had charged with his own kinetic energy exploded. The explosion engulfed part of the restaurant's back wall, which created a cloud of smoke and debris that shrouded the view of the dark-skinned man.

"No!" shouted the man as he fired a few shots into the cloud. As the dust began to settle, the man saw that his target was gone. "I don't believe it! He got away again!" Suddenly, the sounds of sirens began to fill the air.

"Come on, Bishop. We have to get out of here," said the dark-skinned woman. She reached for his arm, and started to walk away, but Bishop wasn't moving. "Come on, Bishop! It'll only complicate matters if the police find us here."

Bishop continued to stare down the alley, which is the only direction Remy could have gone. He placed the large rifle in a holster underneath his coat. He pulled his glasses off, and held them in his hand. "You got lucky this time, Cajun. But I promise you that it is the last time." He then turned to his companion. "All right, Shard, let's go."

The pair turned around and walked out of the alley calmly. Remy swallowed hard as he watched them leave from underneath a manhole. He allowed the cover to fall into place as he slid down into the sewer, and rested against the wall. His knees began to buckle, so he sat down. Remy's rested his head on his shoulder as fatigue began set in. The teenage Cajun's eyes began to feel heavier and heavier. Eventually, the calm of the darkness embraced him as fell quickly asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Love, Lies and Videotape

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

****

Love, Lies and Videotape

(Cajun Heat Part II)

By

Moonchampion

Rogue gazed at the buildings and the streets of downtown New Orleans as both she and Logan rode in the backseat of a taxi. Rogue glanced at Logan out of the corner of her eye, and noticed that he had the same scowl on his face that he always did. In other words, it was too difficult to figure out what he was thinking. Rogue continued to look out of the window, until the taxi pulled into the hotel.

The hotel was definitely a five-star hotel. When Rogue stepped out of the car, she noticed that everything about it screamed expensive. When she and Logan entered the building, Rogue's jaw dropped as she gazed at the vast lobby. Soft music filled the air as she studied her surroundings. Shiny, black marble panels covered the floors, and there was a large fountain in the center of the floor.

"Ah, welcome to _Le Avalon Hotel_," said a gentleman with a French accent. "I am Jean-Paul Cartier, and I will be your host during your stay here at _Le Avalon_." Logan and Rogue turned around to find a tall, slender man staring at them with a smile. However, when he got a look at their faces, and their clothes, the smile slowly turned into look of disgust. "Hmm. You are probably looking for Chateau le Cheape. It's one block east of here, near Bourbon Street."

"Listen 'Bub, it sounds to me like you're looking for a chance at early retirement," began Logan. 

The host appeared to be taken aback by Logan's comment and began snapping his fingers in the air. "Security! Security! Please remove this riffraff from the premises."

"Wait!" shouted Rogue. "We have a reservation." The host scowled at the girl skeptically, and then smiled.

"Oh, really," said the host sarcastically. "Then, why don't you tell me your room number, so that I can _confirm_ your reservation." Rogue told him the room number, and the host walked quickly behind the counter and began typing away on the computer. After a few seconds, his smug expression disappeared from his face and was replaced with a look of shock. He glanced at Rogue briefly, and then glared at the screen again.

"Mademoiselle Kelly, I had no idea it was you," stated the host as he feigned a smile of innocence. "And this must be your bodyguard. I don't know how I could have made such a foolish mistake. Please forgive me. Royce!"

Rogue, completely confused turned to Logan. He caught Rogue's glance and shrugged slightly. Then, she turned around to find a young bellhop approaching them. "Royce, please escort Senator Kelly's daughter and her bodyguard to their room. They are in the suite just under the penthouse," said the host. "Once again madam, please forgive me for my rudeness." Jean-Paul leaned in closer to Rogue and cleared his throat slightly. "Would it be possible for you, not to mention this to your father?"

"My father?" said Rogue.

"Yes, Senator Kelly," said Jean-Paul. "I wouldn't want him to get the impression that…."

"Come on, Miss Kelly," interrupted Logan, "we have a very busy schedule ahead of us." And he guided Rogue away from the counter and after the bellhop.

Jean-Paul stared after them, as they got onto the elevator. Then, he picked up the phone and pressed a single button. Then, he heard the receiver get picked up on the other end. "Yes, the senator's daughter has just arrived with his daughter…. They're in the elevator now…. No, sir, the senator himself hasn't returned. I'll make sure to alert you when he does." Jean-Paul hung up the phone, and glanced at the elevator shaft once again. It would only be a matter of time before the carnage began.

The figure sat in the office, which was dimly lit. Across the room, hidden in the shadows, stood a woman. They were each aware of the other's presence, but chose to remain silent. The phone, however, rung and broke the period of silence in the room.

"This is important?" said the main seated at the desk after pressing the speakerphone button. After a few seconds, he continued, "Where is she now…? Is the senator back from the conference…? Very well." The man turned off the speakerphone and spoke into the air. "It seems the senator's daughter has arrived, my dear. They're in the elevator as we speak. Let's have a look at them shall we."

The woman slowly walked across the room towards a painting on the wall. She pressed a small panel beside the painting, and the work of art began to slide into the ceiling. In its place now, was a large view screen. The screen came to life and revealed a scene of three people standing in the elevator: the bellhop, Logan and Rogue.

"Xavier's people," said the man. "Handle it."

The woman approached the door, and prepared to exit. "Consider it taken care of," she said.

As she began to turn the doorknob, she paused as the man at the desk called out to her. She turned around to find his arm pointing at the screen. A black limousine had just come to a stop down in the parking lot, under the hotel, and many men in black suits and sunglasses began shrouding around the car. The back door opened, and a man wearing glasses with brown hair and streaks of white stepped out of the car.

"It appears that Senator Kelly, has returned early. Make sure everything goes according to plan," said the man. The woman nodded and exited the door. Once she was gone, the man got out of his seat and walked over to the screen. As the carnage began to unfold on his screen, an evil grin spread across his face.

Senator Kelly's bodyguards secured the area before allowing the senator to step out of the car. Once they were certain the area was secure, they opened the door and escorted the senator to the nearest elevator. As they approached the elevator a woman ran up to meet them, and started to walk beside the senator and his entourage.

"Senator Kelly," began the woman as they stepped onto the elevator, "where have you been? Thus far, I have had to postpone your interview with the _New Orleans Gazette_, your television interview with Joanna Chen, and you're running late for the dinner at the mayor of the city and the governor of Louisiana."

"Ms. Wilcox," said the senator, "trust me when I say that it will all be worth it. The luncheon with the Louisiana Congressmen went perfect. I have all of their support for my anti-mutant proposition."

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. The senator smiled at Ms. Wilcox and stepped out of the elevator. She looked after him, her with a scowl of annoyance. The senator began to walk into his penthouse suite, and noticed a young boy pushing a dinner cart from his suite. The senator smiled as he looked at the young boy. The boy was dressed in black slacks and a white jacket, and was sporting a bow tie as well. The only thing the senator found remotely out of place was the boy's spiked, messy reddish brown hair.

The boy looked Senator Kelly directly in the eyes, and a smile began to spread across his face. The senator returned the smile, but it disappeared as he looked down at the boy's hand. He was holding a gun. The senator looked into the boy's eyes, and everything became silent. The last sound her heard was a loud bang. Then, his body hit the floor.

The boy looked at the bodyguards that had drawn their guns and started to rush the boy. He quickly leaped into the air and delivered a series of kicks to the first two to reach him. They hit the floor grasping their faces as they tried to recover from the pain. The boy then delivered a swift kick to the midsection of the next guard. As the guard bent over, the boy pushed him back into the other guards. Then, the boy leaped over the pile of guards, and into the elevator. The first two bodyguards were now back up, and had started firing into the elevator after the boy as the doors began to close.

Ms. Wilcox, who had been trying to cover herself from the bullets being fired her way, quickly crawled towards the senator. She took out her cell phone and dialed 911. The guards got to their feet and rushed towards the elevator. The head bodyguard began talking into microphone taped to his wrist. "This is Greer! Secure the elevators! Do not let anyone leave the building! The senator's been shot! I repeat the senator is down!"

About a minute later, Greer heard something over his earpiece. Just then, the elevator chimed and the bodyguards fixed their arms on the elevator door. It was empty; Greer stepped forward and looked into the elevator. There was a pool of blood on the floor of the elevator. "The shooter's been hit! Let's find him boys! Remember... no one gets out of this building! Understood! Jones, Davis! You two stay here with the senator, the rest of you are with me!" Greer's men piled into the elevator and the doors closed behind them as they prepared to find their assailant.

Rogue walked around the suite and marveled at the large room of luxury. Meanwhile, Logan sat on the sofa and watched television. After a while, he got bored and found Rogue wondering around. "So, what time is he supposed to meet ya here?" he asked.

"Well," began Rogue, "he really didn't say. He just said to come to the hotel room, it would be a place where we could meet." Rogue could see that Logan was annoyed by having to wait. However, just then, they heard a knock at the door. "Maybe it's him."

Rogue and Logan went to the door and answered it. When they opened the door, they saw that it was in fact Remy, however, he appeared to be hurt. "Rogue, help," he said. Then, he started to fall forward, but Logan caught him and pulled him to the sofa. They looked down to find Remy's shirt stained with blood.

"Oh God! Remy! What happened?!" said Rogue.

"No, don't talk yet kid," said Logan. The wound doesn't look that bad. I'll get some towel so we can stop the bleeding. Then, we can go and get you fixed up." Logan got up to get the towels, leaving Rogue and Remy alone. As they stared into each other's eyes, Remy started to smile.

__

"… interrupt you regularly scheduled program to bring you this special report," said the television. _"This is Joanna Chen, of CNBS here in New Orleans, Louisiana. We have just received a confirmed report that Senator Robert Kelly, has been shot just outside of his own penthouse suite at the Le Avalon Hotel. The doctors of Le Mercy Hospital have stated that the senator's condition is critical. Currently, the senator's bodyguards and the New Orleans police are searching the building for the assailant._

"A small puddle of blood was found in the elevator, therefore the bodyguards presume that they managed to wound the assailant. The Hotel, has even managed to provide us with a picture of the assailant taken from their own security cameras." 

The picture of the assailant flashed upon the screen, and Rogue's eyes widened from the shock. On the screen she saw very clearly the face of the boy who had stolen her heart. The assailant was Remy. She turned to face Remy, who appeared to be just as surprised as she was. Rogue stood up and began to back away from him.

Remy slowly pushed himself to his feet, and reached out towards Rogue. "Cher, I promise you, I didn't do it. Don't you believe me, Rogue?" he asked.

Tears began to fall from Rogue's eyes. Rogue closed her eyes and shook her head. "Get out, Remy," she whispered. Remy tried to step closer and gently called her name. "I said get out, Remy! Now! Don't make me be the one to turn you in."

Remy paused in his progression, obviously hurt by her words. Remy then turned and started towards the door. He opened the door, and felt a huge boot smash into his chest. Remy hit the floor and looked up to see who had floored him with such ease. Instead of a face, however, Remy found himself face-to-face with a nozzle of a large gun.

Remy managed to look around the gun, to see that it was the man that had been chasing him for some time. Beside him was his female partner. "I warned you LeBeau," said Bishop. I told you that I would get you." Bishop cocked his gun as he prepared to fire. And Shard's hands began to glow, as she covered her partner. "Your luck just ran out, Cajun."

Remy swallowed hard as he turned to look at Rogue. She only stood there and stared in amazement at the sight before her. He reached out to her again, "Rogue, please."

However, Shard's foot slammed on top of Remy's hand and smashed it between her boot and the floor. "No one can help you now," Shard said. She glanced at Rogue who stood there still not moving. "Rogue? Bishop, she's one of the X-Men."

Bishop glanced at the girl in the corner briefly before returning his attention back to Remy. "Yeah, Shard. But she doesn't have anything to do with this. Her file says that she's clean."

"How do you know my name?" asked Rogue. "And what file are you talking about?"

"Forget about it," said Shard. "Just let us handle our business, and we'll be on our way."

Bishop looked down at Remy, who was struggling to get to his feet, but was knocked back down by Bishop's huge foot pressing against his chest. "This cat-mouse game is over, and you lost, LeBeau." Then, the whine of Bishop's gun began to fill the room. Remy turned his eyes and looked directly into Rogue's. That moment they shared seemed to last an eternity. However, it ended the instant Bishop pulled the trigger.

TO BE CONCLUDED…


	3. Body Double Trouble

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters 

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

****

Body Double Trouble

(Cajun Heat Part III)

By

Moonchampion

Bishop's finger pulled back on the trigger, and a blast of energy began to emerge from the gun. Remy had his eyes shut as the heat from the nozzle washed over his face. Just as the beam erupted from the gun, something struck Bishop's hand, and his shot was off. The beam crashed into the floor inches from Remy's head. Bishop looked down at the floor, and discovered the shattered remains of a vase. He quickly turned his attention towards Rogue, whose chest quickly rose and fell as the adrenaline began to flood her system.

Shard quickly followed her brother's glance with a look of surprise on her face. However, she barely had the chance to fix her gaze upon Rouge, because the young mutant dove on top of her. Both of the women hit the floor with a loud thud. Rogue wasted no time, and quickly pressed her bare hands on Shard's face. Shard began to cry out in pain as Rogue's hands touched her dark skin.

"Shard! Look out!" cried Bishop. However, his warning was too late. Rogue quickly got to her feet and stared at her hands as they began to glow with green energy. She held up her fists, aimed them at Bishop's, and unleashed a blast that sent him soaring out the door and against the wall. Bishop's body slid to the floor, unconscious.

Rogue quickly ran to Remy's side to make sure that he was okay. When she reached him, she was greeted by a simple smile on his face. "Thanks, Cher," he said as he slowly got to his feet. As he did so, Rogue placed her gloves back on her hands. Remy looked at Bishop, and then fixed his gaze on Rogue again. He started to place his hand on her shoulder, but she quickly pushed it away. "What's wrong, Rogue?"

"Leave, Remy," answered Rogue. "Leave now!"

"But, Rogue," he began.

"I only helped you because I didn't want them to kill you," she replied.

"You still think I did it, don't you?" he asked. 

Rogue did her best to avoid his eyes and looked away. "I saw you on pull the trigger Remy," she said. "And so did the rest of America! Why? Why did you do it? I… I thought you were different."

"Rogue?" called Remy. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around. He looked into her eyes, and saw the stream of tears run down her cheek. "Rogue, it wasn't me. I promise."

"Too late, Cajun! The judgement is already in! And the only thing left to do is to pass your sentence! Death!" Remy and Rogue turned towards the door to see Bishop quickly approaching. His hands were glowing yellow with energy. Rogue fired another blast at Bishop's chest. However, this time he seemed to soak up the energy blast like a sponge. "Thanks for the re-charge."

"You're a mutant!" cried Remy.

"That's right. My mutant ability is to absorb energy and re-direct right back at you!" Bishop raised his glowing fists and fired the bolts of energy at the pair of teens. Instinctively, Remy grabbed Rogue's arm and ran towards the window. Without thinking he leaped through the glass and over the balcony.

Bishop rushed to the balcony and looked over the side in search of the teens. When he glanced over the ledge he couldn't see any trace of them. Then, he felt a foot smash directly into his jaw. Bishop staggered back as he grasped his jaw. He looked up to find that Remy and Rogue had landed on a window washer platform hanging just outside the suite.

Bishop prepared to fire an energy blast at his target once again. This time there was no where to escape. Remy swallowed deeply as he prepared to accept his fate. Rogue immediately tried to rush in front of Remy and guard him from the blast. Remy raised his hand to prevent Rogue from getting in front, and inadvertently pushed her over the edge. Rogue quickly grabbed the railing on the platform as she hung on for her life.

"Rogue! Hang on!" cried Remy. He reached over the railing and grabbed Rogue's hand, and started to pull her up. Then, Remy realized his mistake. He had left himself completely open for an attack from Bishop. He tried to push the thought from his mind as he continued to pull Rogue back onto the platform.

"So long, Cajun," said Bishop. He fist began to glow, and just as he released the energy from his fist, he felt an arm wrap around his neck from behind and throw his aim off. The blast went awry from its intended target, and hit one of the ropes stabilizing the platform. The rope snapped and one end of the platform dropped. Remy slid down to the falling side of the platform, and fell off. He was only managing to hold on with one hand on the platform, and Rogue in the other.

"Hang on Rogue!" cried Remy. "Ahhh!"

"Remy, what's wrong?" said Rogue.

"My… my wound," he stammered. "Don't know… how much longer… I can hold on."

Rogue had forgotten about Remy's injury. He wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. Then, Rogue realized just how bad things could get. She looked up at the rope that was still holding the platform in place. Her heart sank as she noticed that the threads of the rope were coming apart. Rogue turned her gaze to Remy, and saw that his fingers were beginning to slip. With each passing second, all hopes of surviving were fading away.

Bishop reached behind his neck to see if he could get some sort of grip on his assailant. Eventually, he found what felt like a head. Bishop managed to wrap both of his hands around the head and proceeded to flip whomever had their arms gripped tightly around Bishop's neck. Bishop succeeded, however, his assailant used the momentum to roll away and prepare for a second attack.

Then, Bishop realized who his attacker was. Logan rushed across the floor of the room towards Bishop who quickly fell onto his back and extended his legs upwards. As, Logan's chest landed directly on top of Bishop's feet. Bishop managed to push Logan partially back across the room, crashing into the coffee table. Logan quickly got to his feet and unleashed his claws as he prepared for another attack.

"Hold it," said Bishop as he kept his gun trained on Logan and reached for his waist to reveal the X-Men emblem on his belt buckle. "I'm on your side."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me, 'Bub?" asked Logan.

"It should," Bishop paused before adding, "X-Man."

"Well, you know me, but I don't know you," replied Logan. "So I'm giving you ten seconds to tell me who you are and why you're here."

"Fine. My name is Bishop," he said. "And I'm from the future."

"Yeah, right," replied Logan. "If you're from the future then, I'm Dorothy and this is Oz."

"Well, Dorothy," continued Bishop, "I'm a member of the Xavier Security Enforcement Agency, X.S.E. I'm here to stop LeBeau from assassinating Senator Kelly. Now, if you would stand out of the way, I may be able to actually finish my job."

"Whoa, cowboy," said Logan. "Why is this so important? I can see why you want to save a life, but traveling through time to change the future? There has to be something you aren't telling me."

"We came back to prevent this assassination to change the future," said Bishop. "In my future things used to be bad, but now they're worse. Before mutants were simply cataloged at birth like this." Bishop pointed to the "M" tattooed over his eye. "However, simply knowing isn't good enough any more. Now, mutants are being forced to live in isolated areas in the country. And legislation has just been passed preventing any more mutants from being born."

"What are you talking about?" asked Logan.

"The government is taking the right of these people to have children," said Bishop. "Pregnancies are being terminated by mandate of law. Those don't abide are executed. These people are no longer free citizen of this country. Their rights are being stripped away. And it all starts after LeBeau assassinates Senator Kelly! His death was the catalyst! Now, out of my way!"

"Bishop, wait!" said Logan. "He's just a kid. You can't just kill him."

"You got a better idea?" asked Bishop.

"Let me take him back with me," said Logan.

"I know all about your little cadre, the X-Men, and I know Charles Xavier," began Bishop.

"Then you know, Charles can help him!" interrupted Logan.

Bishop simply looked into Logan's eyes as he considered the proposal. Then, he heard a beep. He reached into his leather trench coat and produced a small device, which he started staring at. "No!" said Bishop. He rushed to the balcony and looked over the edge. "LeBeau's gone!"

Logan quickly ran to the balcony and looked over. "And so is Rogue. Where could they be?"

"At the hospital," said Bishop.

"How do you know?" asked Logan.

"Look," said Bishop as he handed Logan the small device he had been holding. Logan looked at the device. On the screen was a picture of a newspaper. The front page of the newspaper had a picture of Senator Kelly and a headline that read: MUTANTS ASSASSINATE SENATOR IN HOSPITAL. "Now, he's got Rogue involved."

"Come on we have to get to the hospital now!" said Logan.

"Hold it right there, gentlemen," said a voice from the door. Logan and Bishop looked at the door as a dozen Secret Service agents filed into the room with their guns drawn and aimed at Bishop and Logan. Agent Greer stepped forward and said, "You two are under arrest for conspiracy to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly." Bishop and Logan looked at each other, and then turned their gaze back towards Greer. "Unfortunately, you chose to resist arrest, and left me with no other choice than to shoot you down like the filth you are! Men, prepare to fire."

As Rogue and Remy dangled several stories above the ground on a window washer platform hanging by only a thread, Rogue found their escape. She looked across from her and saw that they were only a few feet away from the balcony just underneath her suite.

"Remy, I think we can make it to that ledge if we swing just a little," suggested Rogue.

"Whatever you say Cher," replied Remy.

The two teens began to swing backwards and forwards towards the balcony. The room itself appeared to be vacant. As they swung farther and farther they heard more threads of the rope rip. 

"We have to jump now!" cried Rogue. Then, on their next approach the Remy released his grip on Rogue, who landed safely on the balcony. "Come on, Remy," said Rogue. As Remy came back, the rope snapped. Remy extended his hands and grasped the ledge of the balcony. "Hold on!" cried Rogue as she pulled him up. "Are you okay?"

Remy nodded. Rogue stood up and turned to enter the room. She pushed the sliding door open and walked inside. Remy finally made his way to his feet, and walked inside the room as well. Rogue was standing at the door, looking through the peephole. Remy walked closer to see what was going on but Rogue gestured for him to remain still. She was obviously trying to listen.

"Ms. Wilcox, there you are," said an agent. "We just got a report from the hospital, it looks like the senator is going to make it."

"Really?" said Ms. Wilcox. "Do you think it would be okay if I headed to the hospital now."

"Yeah," replied Robert. "I'm sure the senator would be thrilled to see you. From what I hear, he's still pretty eager to push his bill on through now more than ever."

"Thank you, Robert," said Ms. Wilcox. "You have no idea what that means to me."

Robert smiled and nodded as he left Ms. Wilcox alone. Once he was gone, Ms. Wilcox produced a cell phone from her purse and pressed a few numbers. After a few seconds she began speaking again. "It looks like Kelly survived… I know… I'll take care of it… Within the hour, Robert Kelly will be nothing more than a memory." After placing her cell phone back into her purse, Ms. Wilcox disappeared into the nearest elevator.

"Now do you believe me?" asked Remy.

Rogue turned to him, with a sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Remy. I wanted to believe you, but the tape…."

"It's okay, Rogue," said Remy. "I know dat your heart never betrayed me, despite everything that you saw." The two exchanged a brief smile. "Now, come on. We have to get to de hospital and stop dis woman before its too late."

"How are we supposed to get out of here and into the hospital?" asked Rogue.

"Cher," said Remy. "You're with the thief dat stole your heart. Surely I have a plan."

"And just what is your plan Romeo?" said Rogue skeptically.

"We go out de same way I got in," he replied. And very cautiously the teens exited the room.

Bishop and Logan stared at the dozens of pistols directed towards them. They were surrounded in a room full of secret service agents that had just received the order to shoot them down. Bishop surveyed the room, and his eyes landed on his sister, Shard. He saw her eye open briefly and make contact with his own. Then, a smile started to spread onto Bishop's face.

"Follow my lead," he told Logan.

Logan offered a slight nod of acknowledgement. Then, in the next few seconds, carnage filled the room as the attack begun. Bishop quickly lunged forward and smashed his fist into one of the agent's face. Logan proceeded to do the same, and delivered a kick sending another agent into a lamp. As the two mutants fought their opponents, they failed to keep track of Agent Greer.

Greer stood behind both Bishop and Logan with a pair of guns and his aim trained on both of the mutants. However, before he could fire, he felt a brief blow from behind collide with his groin. Greer fell to his knees gasping in pain, but emitting no scream. He turned around to find his assailant to be the dark-skinned blonde that had been unconscious on the floor. Without hesitation, Shard delivered a swift kick to Greer's temple, which sent him to the floor and rendered him unconscious.

Bishop, Shard and Logan looked at the agents sprawled all over the room. "Come on, people," said Logan. "We have to get to the hospital, like yesterday."

Shard glanced over at Bishop, who simply nodded that it was okay. "Well, how are we going to get out of here?" asked Shard. "The authorities definitely have the building sealed off by now, and I doubt their about to let us just prance right out?"

Logan's eyes surveyed the bodies on the floor, and a thin smile began to spread across his face. He looked at the two X.S.E. officers as he kneeled to the floor next to one of the unconscious agents. "Hey, Bishop," began Logan, "I think this guy's just about your size." As the understanding of what Logan was implying washed over Bishop and Shard, the two mutants kneeled to the floor and began peeling the suits off of the downed agents.

Rogue could feel her feet getting wet, as she and Remy sloshed through the sewers of New Orleans. She looked ahead of her and saw Remy continuing to move forward. He glanced back at her and smiled as he saw the scowl on her face. "Ah, c'mon, Cher!" said Remy. "It can't be dat bad, can it?"

"Remy," began Rogue, "you have me walking through a sewer! Do I look like I'm enjoying myself?!"

"I'll admit, dat it's not my idea of de perfect date," he answered, "but de night is young." With that one remark, Remy watched Rogue as a smile spread across Rogue's face. "Now, dat's what I like to see." The teens continued to walk through the sewer corridor until Remy raised his hand and signaled Rogue to stop. "We're here."

"How do you know?" asked Rogue.

"Let's just say I've spent a lot of time running around down here," he answered. Rogue followed Remy's lead to a ladder leading out of the sewers and into the lower floors of the hospital. With stealth, the pair of teens managed to work their way up to the main floor, where they slipped into a supply room and started searching for items they could use.

"Hey, we'd better put on some of these scrubs, so that we don't stick out," suggested Rogue. She tossed a pair over to Remy. As he reached out to catch it, he winced and pain. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," said Remy. Rogue stared at Remy as he grunted in pain while pulling his shirt over his head. Once he had gotten the shirt off, Rogue's eyes fell on the wound, which was near Remy's ribs. She walked over towards him and kneeled down to get a better look at the wound. "I said I'd be okay."

"Maybe, but I'd better wrap this up," said Rogue.

"Really, Cher, I'm fine," replied Remy.

"Sit down!" said Rogue, as she pushed him gently down, so that he was sitting on a box. She left and returned with several first aid items in her possession. She kneeled down next to the wound and poured some disinfectant onto a towel. "This may sting a little."

She placed the cloth against Remy's wound. The pain from the cloth being applied to his wound was clearly visible as he clenched his teeth tightly together. Slight grunts escaped his mouth as he did everything in his power to keep from screaming. Rogue pulled the cloth away, pursed her lips together and began to blow. The gentle breeze from her lips seemed to calm Remy.

"Is that better?" she asked as she looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah," said Remy as he stared back at her. For a moment both of the teens were lost in each other's eyes, but Rogue quickly shook her head and came back to her senses.

"I'd better finish wrapping this up," she said. Remy only nodded. Rogue continued to wrap the wound, being careful not to make direct contact with Remy's skin accidentally. As she did so, Remy explained how he got the wound as a result of his previous encounter with the people after him, Bishop and Shard.

As the two teens stood and prepared to exit the supply room, Remy grabbed Rogue's arm and turned her around. "Listen, Cher," he began.

"It's okay," she interrupted, "I know. And you're welcome. Now, let's go and stop that lady before she finishes off Senator Kelly." The teens exited the room, and started to look around. "Maybe we'll have better luck if we split up," she suggested. Remy nodded and the two teens went their separate ways.

Logan, Bishop and Shard entered the hospital doors and headed directly towards the information desk. Bishop quickly reached into his pocket and flashed a badge at the attendant sitting at the desk. "I'm Special Agent Lucas Bishop, National Security. Can you give me the Senator's room number please."

"I'm sorry, but I can't give out that information," said the attendant.

"Woman, do you have any idea of the gravity of this situation? This is a nation incident, and the ramifications of tonight are too extreme for me to put into words! Now, I have an executive order from the President of the United States himself to see Senator Kelly! Now, are going tell me the senator's room number, or should I make a phone call that will have this entire hospital crawling with national guards in under fifteen minutes while I search each room myself?!"

The woman at the information desk looked into Bishop's eyes, and fear began to fill her heart. She immediately gave Bishop the information he desired, and the three mutants, dressed in dark suits and sunglasses (which they had removed from the agents back at the hotel) headed for the elevator.

"Not bad, Bishop," said Logan as the elevator doors closed.

"Interrogation always was my strong suit," Bishop replied. As the elevator ascended the hospital, Logan, Shard and Bishop remained silent, each of them hoping that they would arrive in time to prevent the disaster just over the horizon.

Rogue walked down the hospital hallway, and turned around the corner. Standing next to the door were two agents dressed in dark suits. Rogue new instantly that she had found the right room, however, Remy was no where in sight. Rogue quickly placed her hands on a nearby cart and began pushing it towards the door. When she reached it the pair of agents stepped in front of her.

It was obvious that they weren't going to let her pass, so Rogue did the only thing she could think of. "I just saw the boy down the hall," she said. The eyes of the agents widened and they looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" asked on of the agents.

"Yeah, I remember his face from television. He was dressed in a pair of scrubs. I didn't know what to do, so I came to tell you," replied Rogue.

"Come on, let's grab 'em," said the other agent. The two agents sprinted off into the direction Rogue had pointed them in, each reaching into their jackets (probably placing their hands on their weapons.) Once the agents were out of sight, Rogue stepped into the room. The sight before her made her heart stop beating!

"Remy!" shouted Rogue. Before her stood Remy, dressed in scrubs, with a gun pointed directly towards Senator Kelly. Rogue rushed towards him, and instinctively, Remy turned the gun towards Rogue. Rogue threw up her arm and knocked the gun out of Remy's hand. She heard it clatter to the floor a few feet away. Then, the two mutants began to grapple each other, each trying to get control of the situation.

Remy, however, was stronger, and eventually he tossed Rogue to the floor and picked up the gun. He turned the gun towards Rogue, who paused. She had failed. There was no way she could avoid being shot, and there was no way she could save Senator Kelly. All she could hope to do would be to stall for time. "Why Remy?"

The young Cajun made no remarks at first. He simply allowed a smile to spread across his face as he shook his face. "Sorry, Rogue. If only you'd stayed out of this…." Remy lifted his hand and prepared to fire at Rogue. Just as he began to pull the trigger, he felt an object explode against his hand. Remy cried out in pain and cradled his hand against his chest. He turned towards the door to see his attacker.

"Remy?!" said Rogue as she stared at her love in the doorway. In his hand, were a few syringes, each glowing bright after being charged with kinetic energy. Rogue turned her gaze back towards the other Remy, still cradling his hand. "Then, who are you?"

Slowly, the image of Remy began to fade, and was replaced by the figure of a woman with blonde hair. She continued to stare at the young teens as Senator Kelly spoke out. "Ms. Wilcox?! But… but why?! Oh my God, you're one of them. You're a mutant."

Ms. Wilcox began to smile as she the expression of shock and confusion began to cloud their faces. "You pathetic fool," began Ms. Wilcox. "You have been nothing more than a puppet. We practically gave you everything you needed to stop mutants, and you were too stupid to realize the bigger picture."

"I don't understand," said Senator Kelly slowly. "Why would you do that? Why would you help me?"

"Personally, I don't care one way or another," she replied. "However, my employer sees this as a incredibly profitable opportunity."

"This is about money?" asked Rogue. "You sold out your fellow mutants, so that you could make a profit?"

"This is about science as well, Rogue," said Ms. Wilcox. "My employer would not only have been given federal grants for his research, he would also have been an icon in the scientific community. He would have been known as the man that eliminated the X-factor gene, they key to mutant DNA. A so-called cure for mutants."

"How do you know her name?" asked Remy.

Ms. Wilcox caught the expression of surprise on Rogue's face. "Who are you to question me?" Ms. Wilcox started to come towards Remy, but quickly halted as Remy launched the charged syringes in her direction. 

"De name's Gambit! And your luck's just run out," replied Remy. The syringes exploded about a foot in front of Mystique. The miniature explosions were powerful enough to keep Ms. Wilcox at bay. However, they also had another side effect.

"Mystique?!" cried Rogue. The explosion had caused Mystique to lose her concentration. As she did so, her pale image was replaced with her natural blue skin, and her blonde hair with red hair. Mystique stood tall as everyone glared at her.

"Very good, Rogue. I see your time with Xavier hasn't diminished your intelligence," said Mystique. "Now, I suggest you brats get out of my way before I'm forced to kill you as well."

"I don't think so lady," came another voice. Logan stepped through the door, walked past Remy and stood next to Rogue. Bishop and Shard entered the room as well. Bishop had his weapon trained on Mystique, and Shard was ready to fire her pulse blasts at Mystique as well.

"Well, played X-Men," said Mystique. "But this is far from over." Seeing that she was outnumbered Mystique raised her hands as if surrendering. However, when she opened her hand, a small pellet fell out and smashed open on the floor. When the pellet hit the floor and bright flash filled the room. By the time everyone's eyes had refocused, Mystique was gone.

"All right, everybody freeze!" Everyone turned to the doorway to see a handful of agents storm into the room, with their weapons trained on everyone except Senator Kelly. Agent Greer stepped forward and placed his hand around Remy's arm. "I knew I'd get you, son!"

"Release him, Agent Greer," said Senator Kelly. "The real assailant has escaped. It was a mutant. She posed as the boy and as Ms. Wilcox as well." Reluctantly, Greer released his grip on the boy's arm. "Get out here, all of you!" said Greer. Slowly, Logan and the other mutants began to file out of the room. As they did so, Ms. Wilcox came flying through the door, with a pair of agents with her.

"Senator, you will not believed what happened. Some woman locked me in a broom closet back at the hotel. It took these idiots two hours to find me!" she ranted. "Anyway, I've got the Anti-mutant bill directly off the presses, right here with me. All I need is your signature, and it's on its way to Capitol Hill."

"I'm not signing it," said Senator Kelly. "Inform Dr. Essex, that I have reconsidered my position on the entire agenda. Mutants are humans too. We need to find another way… a better way to handle it."

"Of course, Senator," said Ms. Wilcox disappointedly.

"Wait!" cried Remy as he entered the room. "Did you say Essex? Nathaniel Essex?" Remy watched in horror as the senator nodded.

"Do you know him?" asked Senator Kelly.

"Unfortunately," replied Remy. Without another word he left the room, and walked in complete silence as he and the others left the hospital.

Rogue was sitting in the lobby of the hotel next to Remy, as Logan finished his good-byes with Bishop and Shard. "So, how is the future looking now?" asked Logan.

"It's still the same," replied Bishop. "I guess that means that something else happened that caused things to get like they are. I guess Shard and I will have to keep looking until we find it."

"Good luck, then," said Logan.

Logan nodded and left the two mutants, dressed completely in black. Shard looked at her own scanner, and a smile spread across her face. "Hey Bishop, we may not have changed the future, but we did change something. Look." Bishop took the device into his hand and stared at the picture on the screen. He looked over at Rogue and Remy who were hugging each other, obviously saying good-bye.

"Well, I'll be," said Bishop. "You mean that swamp-rat is going to be an X-Man?!"

"He don't sweat it, big brother," said Shard. "We came back in time to change the future for the better. I'd say we're doing a pretty good job so far." Bishop grunted as the smile on Shard's face grew. Then, the two mysterious from the future turned and exited the door. After a brief flash of light, they vanished.

"So long, Rogue," said Remy.

"Remy, wait!" Rogue said, but the young teen continued walking without looking back. Rogue felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned to see Logan staring down at her.

"C'mon, let's go home," said Logan. As the pair began to exit the building, they heard Jean-Paul, the hotel host, come rushing after them.

"For you, mademoiselle," he said as he gracefully bowed and retreated after giving Rogue the letter. Rogue opened the letter and began reading the note.

"It's from Remy," she said.

"What does it say?" asked Logan. Rogue smiled as she handed Logan the letter.

__

Rogue,

Save me a room at the mansion. Got some family issues to work out with my Uncle Nate first.

Remy

P.S. – Bet you're smiling, now. Good, 'cause that's what I like to see.

THE END


End file.
